


Slow Motion

by clgfanfic



Category: Soldier of Fortune Inc.
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 11:32:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the team goes in to rescue women and children, Benny Ray makes the ultimate sacrifice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Motion

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the zine Good To Go #1 and Ouch! #15 under the pen name Becca Koldfurr.

"Benny Ray!" Matt yelled, but it was already too late.

The activity around Shepherd slowed in his panic-altered perception, unfolding in painful, too-lucid detail.  There was nothing he could do to stop the tragedy already fated to happen.

It was too late…

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Matt looked up from his newspaper, his expression surprised.  "Trout," he said.  "What're you doing here?"

The older man tossed a thin file folder onto the major's desk.  "I need your help, Matt."

Shepherd picked up the file and opened it, reading quickly.  When he finished he closed the file and let it drop back onto his desk.  "I'll need some updated satellite photos of the compound."

"It's being done as we speak," Trout said.

"How fast?"

"Tomorrow," Trout said.  "We're afraid it'll be too late if we wait any longer than that.  I'd rather it was tonight, but–"

"We might be able to pull it off tonight, but the extra day would be useful."

"It's your call," Trout said.  "But we have to get those women and children out of there – quickly and quietly."

Matt nodded, then shook his head.  "Where do these nuts come from?"

Trout shrugged his expression tired.  "It's getting close to the millennium, Matt.  We're going to see more of this over the next four-hundred some-odd days."

Shepherd stood and stepped around his desk.  "I'll contact the others and brief them.  You get me those satellite photos and whatever else you can on the local terrain.  And let's get a series of power outages started so they won't notice when we show up."

Trout nodded and left without a goodbye.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"How do we know these women are really in danger?" Margo asked after Matt finished briefing them.

"We don't, exactly, but all the signs are there.  Wilson Dobson lured in the men first.  They're his followers.  These women and children had no idea what was coming when they were forced into Dobson's compound the day before yesterday by their husbands, fathers, and brothers."

"This Dobson guy sounds like a real lunatic," Chance offered.  "He honestly thinks that Jesus is telling him what to do?"

Matt nodded his agreement with the pilot's assessment of Dobson's mental state.  "So he says.  He's cut off these women's contact with the outside world.  And from the intel we have he's been stockpiling weapons for the last several months, not to mention chemicals that could be used for a mass suicide."

"Jonestown all over again," Margo said softly.  "You'd think we'd learn."

"He's also been writing to several local and national newspapers over the last week, announcing that Jesus Christ has told him that the world is coming to an end the day after tomorrow," Matt added.

Margo's eyebrows rose and the corner of her lips twitched in amusement.  "Day after tomorrow?  Well, I guess I'd better make an appointment to get my hair done."

The others chuckled.

"So I take it we're going in tomorrow?" Benny Ray asked.  "End it for 'im a day early?"

The major nodded.  "Early in the morning when they'll be tired and their guard'll be down.  But we're just going in to get the women and kids out.  What these guys decide to do is up to them."

"Non-lethal?" Margo asked.

"That's the plan," Matt replied.  "We don't want to create more martyrs."

"We hope," Margo replied.  "This sounds a little too much like what happened in Waco for me."

"That's why we're the ones going in and not the ATF," Matt said.  "The government isn't anxious to end up in another standoff.  It won't be another Waco, people."

"You sure these women are gonna want to be rescued?" Benny Ray asked.

"One was able to smuggle out a note asking for help," Matt explained.  "She said that they're afraid that they and their kids are going to be killed.  I think they'll cooperate."

"What kind of resistance are we looking at, Major?" C.J. asked.  "From the men."

"Dobson's not going to want to let these women and kids go.  He thinks he's setting up a new Eden.  Some of his followers are ex-military, but most of them are just locals who bought into his delusion. They're not a well trained force by any stretch of the imagination."

"Score one for our side," Chance said with a grin.

"What about the weather?" Benny Ray asked.  "Michigan can be colder than a witch's tit this time of year.  If we have to move any little kids very far they're gonna slow us way down."

Matt glanced at Margo, noting her slightly arched eyebrows.

Benny Ray followed the major's look.  "No offense, ma'am."

"Trout's arranging for a bus to meet us just beyond the main gate.  They shouldn't have to travel far," Shepherd explained.

"What's the game plan, Major?" Chance asked.

Matt took a deep breath and laid out his general plan of attack, soliciting feedback from each of the others in order to hammer out a final plan.  Several hours later they were ready to gather their equipment and go.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

And the operation had gone according to plan.  They drove to a deserted spot three miles from the compound and hiked the rest of the way through broken woods and the occasional farm field without incident.  Having memorized the layout of Dobson's compound from the high resolution satellite photos, they chose a small wooded rise near the only entrance from which to launch their attack.

The team lay on the rise, using night-vision gear to peer down on two men standing guard at the gated entrance to the only approach road.  The two men, unaware of the five black-clad operators watching them, were not particularly alert.  In fact, they were sitting on folding stools, talking, smoking cigarettes, and drinking from steaming mugs of coffee.

Shepherd and the others waited while C.J. set up a small parabolic mike so they could eavesdrop on the men's conversation.  They were running on routine.  There was no alert out, and no indication that the team's arrival had been detected – or was even anticipated.  Evidently Dobson had told the men that Jesus himself had insured their safety.

Quietly Shepherd laid a hand on Benny Ray's arm and squeezed.  The sniper brought up his rifle and fired two tranquilizer darts, striking the men in rapid succession.  They both slumped over, coffee mugs slipping from their fingers before they fell off their stools.

The major tapped C.J. on the shoulder and the Brit crawled forward.  Near the gate he found where the power lines for the compound entered and cut them.  The lights that illuminated the grounds around the buildings blinked out.  C.J. opened the gate, then quickly rejoined the others.  The team backed off the rise, disappearing like shadows into the darkness of early morning.

Shepherd knew Dobson would have generators, but it would take him a while to get them fired up and running, enough time for the team to slip unseen inside the compound.  And with luck, they wouldn't even bother with the generators.  The day before Trout had arranged for several short power outages to occur, getting Dobson and his people used to the idea.  The local news even covered the problem, blaming a faulty panel at the local power station.  It was supposed to be fixed overnight, so an early morning blackout should raise no suspicions.

Trout's intel placed the number of men in the compound at thirty.  Two were already down.  From the satellite photos they knew that fourteen of the men would be in their barracks, sleeping, while the other fourteen were scattered around the grounds, standing guard.

Matt keyed his Motorola MX-300 communications unit and said softly, "Okay, follow the plan, keep a body count going so we know what possible resistance we're looking at."

Chance and C.J. silently moved off toward the men's sleeping barracks.  Benny Ray took another direction, tasked with taking out as many of the remaining fourteen men as he could on his way to a position to cover the women's retreat.  Margo and Matt headed for the women's barracks.

Several minutes later Shepherd heard a click in his earpiece, followed by Chance's voice.  "Target alpha has been neutralized," he said.  The sleeping men would remain unconscious for several hours, thanks to the gas he and C.J. had released into the building.  "Moving to locate rovers.  Will converge on the gate in seven minutes.  Blue clear."

"Roger Blue," Matt replied.

Another click and Benny Ray said, "Green here.  Four tangos down.  Movin' into final position."

Matt and Margo reached the women's barracks, finding two men standing guard.  The pair split up.  Matt dropped his man first with a dart from the tranquilizer gun he carried.

Seeing his friend fall, Margo's target spun, looking for his attacker.  The last thing he expected to see was a women dressed in a black uniform and wearing black cammo paint on her face.  He grabbed for his sidearm, but Margo was already moving, bringing up her weapon and firing.  Her dart caught the man in the neck and he dropped to his knees, then collapsed face first into the short-cut grass.

"Six and counting," Matt announced over the radio.

"Eight and counting," Chance corrected a moment later.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Benny Ray hunched over, his right eye pressed against the rubber-rimmed eyepiece of his low-light sniper-scope.  From his vantage point on the small rise he had a clear view of nearly the entire area inside of Dobson's compound.  To his right, along the base of the rise, was a long, low building that the satellite photos had identified as the women's barracks.  To the left was a smaller building, the men's meeting house.  Directly opposite the rise was a small two-story Victorian house topped by a small satellite antennae.  Dobson's house.  And next to Dobson's private quarters, another barracks for the men.

He saw Matt and Margo enter the women's barracks, but he was watching a man moving stealthily toward the building.  Benny Ray eased the muzzle of his tranquilizer rifle to the right, the scope crosshairs centering on the magnified image of the man, who carried a general-purpose machine gun in his hands like he knew how to use it.

Part of Benny Ray's pre-mission preparation had involved going over dozens of satellite photos with calipers and a scale, measuring out ranges.  This target was close, as sniping went – about sixty meters.  Benny Ray drew down slightly, since his rifle was sighted at the lowest possible adjustment of 80 meters.

_Aim…  hold… squeeze…_

Benny Ray watched the man stagger, then fall into the grass.  "Nine," he announced into his lip mike.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Inside the building Margo woke the woman who lay in the first small bed they encountered.  The woman gasped, but didn't scream.

"It's all right," Margo assured her.  "We're here to get you and the others out."

"Oh, thank God," the woman breathed, climbing out of bed and moving to wake two children in the bunk beds next to her.

"Ten," stated Chance's voice in their earpieces.

Matt and Margo quickly moved down the two rows of bunk beds, waking the other women, cautioning them to remain silent while they quickly dressed or pulled on bathrobes, then helped their children prepare.  Swiftly the two operators lined the women and kids up in the center of the barracks, between the two rows of beds.

"Hammer ready to move," Matt announced into his lip mike.

"All clear, hammer," Benny Ray replied.  "You are clear to move.  Repeat, clear to move; chariot in place."

Matt walked over to an older woman who had been helping to keep the others calm, speaking to them in soft, low tones that seemed to sooth their nerves.  "Ma'am, I'd like for you to help us make sure these women and children stay together."

She nodded.  "I'll do my best."

Matt raised his voice so the others could hear.  "Ladies, I want you to make sure you keep a tight hold on your children.  If anyone gets separated, we might lose them in the dark.  Understood?"

Heads nodded and many of the women clutched their children closer to them.  A few soft sobs echoed through the large room.

"Listen carefully, please," Matt continued.  "When we go outside I want you to run straight to the gate on this side of the meeting house.  You head straight outside the compound.  Continue down the road.  There will be a bus waiting for you around the first turn."

The major took a deep breath.  This was it.  It would be dawn soon and they needed to get moving.  Benny Ray said it was clear, but there were still four men unaccounted for.

"Eleven," C.J.'s voice announced, his tone satisfied.

_Okay, three left.  Still enough to cause some damage with the weapons they're supposed to have._

"Ax, what's the situation?" Shepherd asked into his lip mike.

"All clear, Hammer," Benny Ray replied.  "But it's startin' to get light."

"Roger that," Matt replied, then looked back to the women.  "Let's go, ladies.  And remember, don't stop for anything.  Clear?"

The heads nodded again.

Margo opened the door, making a quick check before she waved the women through.  She moved with the women at the front of the line, Matt moving out with those at the rear.

Margo led the women between the barracks and the meeting house – as far away from Dobson's quarters as possible – making a straight line run for the open gate.

"Twelve," she heard Benny Ray say her earpiece.  "Moving to second position," he added, letting them know that he was heading down off the rise to cover their retreat from the rear of the column.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Matt wasn't quite sure when he realized what was about to happen.  Everything was going so smoothly.  Most of the women had passed through the gate and were running down the road with their children toward the waiting bus.  But a few of the women were moving slower, burdened by one or two children who couldn't run fast enough to keep up.  One in particular was lagging further and further behind, slowed by the burden of carrying a small girl with leg braces.

Chance and C.J. moved in to help some of the straggling women, grabbing children and charging for safety.

Matt reached for one of the two twins another woman struggled with, but stopped, barking at her, "Run!"

The woman's eyes flew wide, but she picked up speed, not looking back.

"Benny Ray!" Matt yelled, but it was already too late.

The activity around Shepherd slowed in his panic-altered perception, unfolding in painful, too-lucid detail.  There was nothing he could do to stop the tragedy already fated to happen.

It was too late…

The woman with the older girl in her arms stumbled and fell.  She climbed right back up and scooped up the girl, her braced legs flapping wildly as the woman ran.  But one of the two remaining men stood less than thirty yards away, his rifle moving to target the woman and child.  Benny Ray, moving up to protect their rear, saw the man.  Matt also knew that the sniper was aware of the second man, Dobson, who had exited his house and was now bringing up an old Colt revolver on the sniper.

The woman and child were in Matt's line of fire, and as he sprinted for an opening he saw the choice Benny Ray had to make: Shoot the man aiming at the woman and girl or shoot the man aiming at the sniper himself.

Dropping his tranquilizer rifle, Benny Ray drew his sidearm, dropping the man with the rifle.  A split-second later Dobson fired.

Matt didn't see his friend fall as he took another step forward, his own sidearm drawn, and fired on Dobson.  The man flew back and fell.  Without hesitation, Shepherd veered and charged to the fallen sniper.  Dropping to his knees beside the man, Matt reached out to check where Benny Ray had been shot.  There was nothing.

"Benny Ray?" he said, slipping his hand behind the sniper's head to try and help him sit up, but as soon as his fingers touched the warm, sticky liquid that coated the man's short hair he knew where the injury was.  "Oh no," he managed before his throat tightened too much for words to escape.

With trembling hands he checked for a pulse and found it thready.  Into the lip mike he barked, "I need an ambulance, now!"

"Matt, what's wrong?" Margo's voice asked.

"Benny Ray's been hit!"

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The bus rumbled down the road, carrying the women and children to safety, government officials riding along with them, taking statements.  But the team waited at the gate, listening to the wail of an ambulance growing louder in the dim pre-dawn light.

Matt pressed a dressing over the back of Benny Ray's skull, but he was too afraid to probe the wound to see if it had actually penetrated the man's skull.  If the bullet had broken through the bone he didn't want to add any contamination.

The sniper panted in short, wheezing gasps, and his lips were slowly turning a frightening shade of blue.

"Come on," Margo urged the ambulance softly under her breath.  "Come on."

The vehicle arrived and two paramedics climbed out, jogging out to join them. In minutes they had Benny Ray on a gurney and were rolling him to the rear of the ambulance and loading him inside.  Matt climbed in the front, riding to the hospital with the injured man while the other three ran back along the road to their van.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

In the ambulance Matt twisted around in his seat, watching the paramedic working over Benny Ray, remorse rising in his throat like bile.

"Step on it, Mike," the medic called to his partner.  "This guy's pulse is getting real erratic back here."

"What does that mean?" Matt demanded.

"Don't know for sure," the driver said.  "But he took a helluva blow to the head."

The medic with Benny Ray slipped an oxygen mask over the sniper's mouth and started on another set of vital signs.  Shepherd scooted closer to the edge of his padded seat and leaned over so his mouth was as close to his friend's ear as possible.  "Hang in there, Benny Ray," he said.  "You're gonna be just fine.  You hear me?  You hang in there, damn it."

"I'm losing him, Mike!" the medic called.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

At the hospital Benny Ray was rushed into an ER treatment room.  Matt tried to follow, but he was stopped by a young nurse who was clearly intimidated by his uniform, black face, and weapons.

"I'm-I'm sorry, but you can't go in there," she said, then swallowed hard.  "We need a clean environment."

"Get out of the way," Shepherd said, his voice low and dangerous.

A short, older woman stepped in front of the major, her natural red hair liberally streaked with grey.  "You're _not_ going in there," she stated matter-of-factly, her jaw jutting out slightly and her head tilting slightly to the side.

Matt pulled up, her words surprising him.  "Lady–"

" _Doctor_ ," she corrected, her grey eyes narrowing.  "Now you listen to me," she said.  "I'm going to go in there to treat that man.  And you are going to go wait.  Wait nice and quiet.  Is that perfectly clear?"

"Matt," Margo said, walking up behind him and resting a hand lightly on his arm.  "Let them do what they have to.  They know what they're doing."

"I'd listen to her," the doctor said, turning away.

Shepherd looked down at Margo, his eyes pleading with her to let him disobey the doctor, but she refused.  Besides, there was no way he and the others would get past the older woman.  The brief image of the woman on a pioneer cabin porch, holding a shotgun to warn off outlaws sprang into his mind.

"There's, uh, a waiting room down that hall to your right," the young nurse said, her gaze locked on the weapons the team still carried.

The doctor stopped, her hand on the door to the treatment room.  "I think these folks might be more comfortable in the physician's lounge, Stacy.  Why don't you show them the way?"

"I want to know what's going on!" the major called to her.

"As soon as we can," the physician agreed, then pushed through the door and was gone.

Matt and the others tromped down the hall behind the nurse to a small lounge, which was thankfully empty.  When he dropped into one of the chairs Matt noticed that there were two orderlies standing out in the hallway, watching them.  _Great, just what we need, trouble from the locals_.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

In the treatment room doctor and several nurses moved around Benny Ray in a flurry of activity.  Two of the nurses worked to strip the sniper down while a technician positioned a portable x-ray machine over his head.

"Jesus, this guy's armed to the teeth!" one of the nurses exclaimed, hastily laying aside two sidearms and twice as many combat knives.

"Who do you think he is?" the other asked.  "One of those militia guys?"

"It doesn't matter who he is," the doctor interrupted.  "We just have to keep him alive."

"Doctor, he's going into V-tac…"

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

The steady beat of heavy footsteps captured the teams' attention and they stood as two police officers entered the lounge.  The officers glanced nervously at the weapons lying on one of the sofas.

The older of the two officers said, "I'm afraid that we're going to have to ask you to turn over those weapons.  And any others you might be carrying."

"No can do, officer," Matt replied, watching both men tense.  "We have the necessary clearances to carry our weapons."

"Yeah?  I'd like to see that, G.I. Joe," the younger officer snapped.

"Okay, look," Matt said, "I'm going to reach into my pocket and take out a business card."

"A business card?" the younger officer echoed.

"There's a name and a number there.  You call it.  The man at the other end will explain everything."

The older officer nodded, and Matt carefully reached into one of his shirt pockets and pulled out a card, which he handed over to the man.  "You call that number.  Talk to Xavier Trout."

The officer's gaze flickered down to the card and back to Matt.  "Just who the hell are you people?"

"That's need to know, Sergeant…"  Matt checked the man's name tag.  "Price."

"Let's just say that we have the highest possible clearance," C.J. added with a taunting smile.

"Ned, you stay here with these folks, I'll be right back," Sergeant Price said.

The younger officer nodded, but he didn't look very comfortable with the idea.

"Get you some coffee, Officer… Ames?" Margo asked, nodding toward the machine in the corner of the room and smiling.  The effect with her blacked out face was something akin to a shark's grin.

"Uh, no.  No thanks," Ned replied, feeling his knees begin to shake.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Sergeant Price returned a few minutes later, his face red.  "Ned, come on, let's go."

"Go?"

"Everything all right, Sergeant?" Matt asked, a suppressed smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I talked to this Trout guy, and he promptly got the city mayor and the sheriff on the line with me.  They said to leave you people alone, so we're gonna leave you alone.  But I think you ought t' take those weapons out of here.  You're gonna scare the staff and the patients to death decked out like that."

"What would you recommend, Sergeant, that we lock them in the car?" Chance asked, his tone half-amused, half-challenging.

"You could put them in the trunk of my unit," Price offered.  "I'll take them back to the station and you guys can pick them up there."

Matt considered the offer for a moment, then nodded.  "Chance, C.J., round up the weapons and take them out of here.  And bring in our gear from the van."

"Will do, sir," Chance said, heading for the rifles.

C.J. grinned malevolently at the younger officer, enjoying the terror that flashed across his face, then stepped over to help Chance.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Chance and C.J. returned a few minutes later, the pilot carrying a nearly empty black deployment bag.  Matt crossed to the men and took the bag, carrying it to one of the chairs and setting it down.  Opening the main compartment, he fished out several towels, tossing them to the others so they could wipe most of the black face-paint off.

That done, they each stripped off their assault vests, Matt loading them back into the bag along with other gear they carried.  When they were stripped down to their uniforms he zipped the bag closed and dropped it onto the floor beside the chair and sat down himself.

"I wish we'd hear something," Margo complained softly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's only been a half-hour," Chance replied from where he sat at one end of a sofa, his eyes closed as he tried to center himself and dispel the worry that gnawed through his guts.

His attempt to reassure her didn't work.

"At least we know he isn't dead," C.J. added.  "Hell, he's too damned hard-headed for it to be anything really serious."

The others smiled briefly, but worry quickly snuffed out the brief flash of humor.

"You think we ought to contact his ex?" Chance asked the major.

"No," Matt replied.  "At least not until we have something concrete to tell her."

"Times like this I'm really glad I don't have kids," the pilot replied.

"I hear that," C.J. echoed.

Margo rubbed a hand over her eyes and asked, "What happened, Matt?"

"He had to make a choice," Shepherd said softly.  "Dobson and the last man came out of nowhere.  The guy was aiming for the woman with the little girl with braces.  Benny Ray saw him.  He saw Dobson, too, who was aiming for Benny Ray."

"And he chose to save the woman and her daughter," Margo summed up, then sighed heavily.  _It wasn't fair_.

Matt nodded.

"The man's a genuine hero," Chance said quietly.

"An annoying, anal-retentive good-old-boy," C.J. corrected, "but a hero nonetheless.  Definitely."

"I couldn't get a clean shot at Dobson until he'd pulled the trigger," Matt continued, his tone angry.

"That's not your fault, Matt," Margo told him.

"Maybe not, but tell that to Benny Ray."

"He knew the risk when he made the choice, sir," Chance added.

"He'll be fine," Margo said firmly, but her eyes were bright.

Matt nodded and forced a smile, echoing, "Yeah, he'll be fine."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Stripped down and cleaned up, Benny Ray lay unmoving on a treatment table.  A small rolling table next to the sniper's gurney was stacked high with bloody gauze squares. 

The doctor took a step back and shook her head.  "I'll go talk to his friends," she said.

One of the nurses still present nodded, her expression sympathetic.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Matt paced across the doctor's lounge, then stopped, growling, "That's it, I'm going to go find out what the hell's going on."

Margo spotted the doctor first and bounced off the sofa.

"What?" Matt asked.

"The doctor," she said.

The older woman glanced around the room, taking in the sight of four worried, anxious commandos.  Still in their black uniforms, their faces were at least wiped off, but still shadowed by black paint.  But at least their weapons seemed to have disappeared – compliments of Charlie Price, no doubt.

She walked up to Matt and extended her hand.  "I'm afraid I didn't have the chance to introduce myself earlier.  I'm Maggie McDonnell," she said, "Mister Riddle's doctor."

"How is he?" Shepherd asked, his concern obvious and genuine.

Maggie gestured to the sofa and sat down, waiting for the others to do the same before she explained, "Mr. Riddle sustained a glancing blow to the back of his head."

"Glancing?" Margo echoed, her voice hopeful.

Dr. McDonnell nodded.  "However, the force of the bullet that grazed him slammed him to the ground pretty hard.  He has two good-sized knots on the back of his skull."

"But he'll be all right, right?" Matt asked.

"I think so, but we're going to monitor him closely for the next twenty-four hours, just in case there is any swelling."

The major stood, saying, "We'd like to see him–"

"No," Maggie interrupted.  "Not now."

"But–"

"We think he's out of any immediate danger, but I want him quiet and resting, at least for the next six to eight hours.  So why don't all of you go get cleaned up, eat some breakfast, and get some rest.  You can check back with me around six tonight."

"But–" Matt began.

"That's the best you're going to get," the doctor interrupted. 

"Come on," Margo said, flashing Maggie an understanding smile.  "Let's go get cleaned up and eat."

Shepherd hesitated a moment, but then sighed and nodded.  "Six o'clock?"

Maggie nodded.  "Don't worry.  He should be fine.  We're just being careful."

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Taking over a suite at one of the local hotels, Matt and the others quickly showered and changed into civilian clothes.  Room service delivered their breakfasts, and the team ate while they watched the local news, which made no mention of their pre-dawn raid.

"Members of Reverend Dobson's church were arrested after it was discovered that they were holding friends and family members in the New Eden Compound against their will.  While attempting to arrest Reverend Dobson, he and his Deacon, Alfred Williamson, were killed by police.  A spokesman for the sheriff's department stated that Dobson and Williamson were armed with illegal automatic weapons, and deputies were forced to shoot the two men in order to protect their lives and the lives of innocent bystanders…  Coming up next, a wily pig has locals guessing whose garden might be next on the porker's hit list…"

Matt poked the remote control at the smiling newscaster's face and pushed the power button.  The screen blinked to black.

"Looks like Trout's PR guys were on top of this one," Margo said, shaking her head slightly.

"I don't know if the local sheriff's going to appreciate his people taking the blame," Chance added.

"The press didn't play it up," Margo countered.

"Just made it sound like Dobson and his people were a bunch of nutters," C.J. said.

"Well, they got that right," Matt replied.

"No argument here," C.J. stated, reaching for another buttermilk biscuit from the small basket.

"I think I'll give the hospital a call," the major said, starting to stand.

Margo reached out and put a restraining hand on his arm, keeping him in his seat.  "Dr. McDonnell said she'd call if there was anything to report," she said softly. "He'll be fine."

Matt flashed Margo a half-angry, half-frustrated scowl, but she took it in stride, asking, "More pancakes?"

"No," Shepherd said.

"Must've been a helluva choice," C.J. said quietly, staring at his plate.  "I don't know if I could've done the same in his place."

"Knowing you're gonna get hit," Chance added, shaking his head, "that's gotta be the worst.  You know what you have to do, but you're just waiting to finally hear the bullet with your name on it."

"He didn't even think about it," Margo said.

"What do you mean?" C.J. asked.

Matt leaned back in his chair, waiting for her answer as well.

"Benny Ray's not the kind of man who thinks about what he should do.  He knows what he has to do and he does it."

"And damn the consequences," Matt added softly.

She shrugged.

"It's what makes him a good sniper," Chance stated.  "Hell, if I had to look a man in the eyes through a sniper-scope I don't know if I could off him.  Not if he was just sitting down to supper."

"I could if he was a Libyan," C.J. half-growled.

"But you have a reason," Chance countered.

"Benny Ray had a reason, too," Matt said.  "He was keeping that woman and her daughter alive."

"Which is why he ignored the threat to himself," Margo told the major.  "He knew he might die, but that wasn't as important as saving that woman and child.  And that's why you're mad at him."

Chance and C.J. both looked from Margo to the major, waiting for an explosion that never came.  After a moment Shepherd grinned, then chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right.  I was mad."

"Mad, sir?" Chance questioned.

"Hell, yes," Matt replied.  "I had to watch one of my men damn near get himself killed, and that pissed me off."

"Because…?" C.J. asked.

"Because I couldn't do anything to stop it.  If I could've covered him, or stopped Dobson from firing–"

"You wanted to be in control, Matt," Margo explained.  "We all do.  And this time Benny Ray was.  He got to decide what was going to happen, not you."

"And when he's out of that hospital bed I'm going to kick his ass for scaring me like that," Shepherd added teasingly.

"I'd like to see that," C.J. chuckled.

"My money's on Brother Ray," Chance said.

"What?" Matt cried.

The handsome pilot grinned.  "We've been workin' out, Major."

"And I haven't?"

Chance shrugged and Matt looked to Margo, who held up her hands and shook her head.  "Don't look at me!"

The rest of breakfast passed in companionable silence, and when they were done the team headed into their rooms to get some sleep.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Dr. Maggie McDonnell reached the information counter exactly thirty seconds ahead of the team.  She smiled at the foursome, adding, "Well, you clean up very nicely.  I almost didn't recognize you."

"How's Benny Ray doing?" Matt asked.

"Fine, just fine.  I don't think we have anything to worry about.  If he remains stable, I think we can let him go home the day after tomorrow."

"That long?" Margo asked.

"We'd like to keep him for forty-eight hours, just to be safe."

"Can we see him?" Matt asked.

Maggie nodded.  "He's in ICU, but that's just a precaution.  I'm going that way myself, come on."

They rode the elevator to the third floor, then followed Maggie to ICU.  She pointed to Benny Ray's room, saying, "One at a time, though."

Without hesitation Matt stalked down the hallway and entered the man's room.  Inside, the sniper lay on a narrow bed, the head raised so he was almost sitting up.  An IV dripped a clear fluid into the back of his hand, and wires attached him to at least two monitors.

"Hey, boss," Benny Ray said, his words slightly slurred.

"Hey, yourself," Matt replied, walking over to stand next to the bed.  "How're you feeling?"

"Like somebody tried to pull m' brains out m' ear," was the colorful reply.

"That bad?"

Benny Ray grunted.

"Well, you'll be going home day after tomorrow if you behave yourself and get well."

"Just a bump on the head," the sniper grumbled.  "Hell, I've had worse."  He closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders.  "The woman–"

"She and her daughter are fine.  You got the guy before he got off the shot."

"Who shot me?"

"Dobson."

Benny Ray grinned.  "I heard the news on the TV this morning.  Thanks for takin' care of that."

"No problem," Shepherd assured him, adding, "but next time you think you can find a little better cover?"

"I sure as hell plan on it," was the heartfelt reply.  "Funny thing was, it all happened so fast.  All I could see was Mary Ellen and Katie…"

Matt grinned.  "Look, there's a few more people out there who'd like to say hello, you up to that?  And you can say no."

"Sure, send 'em in," Benny Ray said, hie eyes blinking open again.

"Be right back," Shepherd said, then headed back into the hall.  A young blonde woman stood with Margo and the others.  She turned when Matt approached, her clear blue eyes filled with worry.

"Matt," Margo said, "this is Christine Allen.  She's the woman who–"

"Christine," Shepherd said, immediately guessing who she was.

 

"I– I won't ask your names," she said.  "I just wanted to say thank you."

Matt nodded.

"Do you think I–?"

Matt nodded again.  "I think he'd like to meet you.  How's your daughter?"

"Scared, but fine," the woman replied, a relieved smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"He's right in there," Matt said, pointing to Benny Ray's open door.

She nodded and took several tentative steps toward the door before squaring her shoulders and striding into the room.

"Pretty lady," Chance said softly.  "Wonder what she's doing for dinner."

"She's had enough trauma in her life," Margo teased, then looked at Matt.  "How's he feel?"

"Like someone tried to shove his brains out his ear," the major repeated.

The other three cringed.  "Ouch," C.J. summed up for the group.

"Yeah," Matt agreed.  "But I think he's feeling a little better right about now."

"And you?" Margo asked the major.

Matt grinned.  "Me too, I'm feeling just fine.  So, who's next?"

The End


End file.
